Buddha's Birthday (부처님오신날)

Pages Information

Content

Buddha's
Birthday

부처님 오신 날

Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on different dates in different regions. In
most of Asia, it is observed on the full moon of the fourth month of the lunar
calendar. In Korea, Buddha's Birthday always falls on April 8 by the lunar
calendar.

​

​Theravada Buddhists combine the observance of Buddha's birth, his enlightenment
and his passing-away into one holiday called Vesak, while most Mahayana
Buddhists observe these as three separate holidays held at different times of
the year.

​

​Buddha's Birthday is a time for hanging lanterns and enjoying communal
meals. Joyous parades of musicians, dancers and floats are common throughout
Asia. One ritual found throughout Buddhist countries in Asia is that of washing
the baby Buddha. People approach the altar reverently, fill a ladle with water
or tea, and pour it over a statue of the baby Buddha.

​

​Buddha's Birthday is the biggest Buddhist holiday in Korea. In Korea this
day is called "Bucheonim osin nal" meaning "the day when the
Buddha came." Lotus lanterns cover entire temples and nearby streets
throughout the month.

​

​- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 1) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​